Separation Anxiety
by SGL
Summary: Do not read this fic. It sucks.
1. And the Winner is

WOO-HOOOOO!!!!!!! Purple won the M&M's Global Color Vote!!!!!!! YAY!!!!!! ^.^  
  
For once, that wasn't sarcasm. Purple was the one I wanted to win!  
  
DISCLAIMER: Don't own YuGiOh...  
  
Okay, this is my first try at a basic romance fic, and the first I've seen of this pairing. Otogi is terribly underwritten, so he might be OOC. I'm stuck with Kids WB, but like any faithful fan, I did my internet research. Although he starts out hating Yugi, he ends up part of the group, right?  
  
Arc: After Battle City, I guess, because that's when Shizuka gets her eyesight back. Plus, I wanted to see how OOC I could make Malik and them before I write about them in my sequel to 'Getting REALLY Lost...'  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Shizuka trailed faithfully behind a chattering Anzu and Mai. The three were strolling down a busy street in downtown Domino; much to Shizuka's dismay. She'd just wanted to hang out with her brother, but he'd cancelled their plans when the 'guys' decided to practice their dueling...at the beach...where a bikini contest was coincidentally being held that day.  
  
The two older girls had dragged Shizuka out into town, for a 'Girls Day Out'. After she flatly refused to waste her day at the mall, Anzu suggested going for ice cream, but Mai, who was driving, noticed a pair of shoes she wanted to check out...and a skirt...and a 14K gold necklace that she expected _someone_ to buy for her.  
  
'Jou likes her, but not that much...' Shizuka thought to herself as Mai asked the counter lady about a payment plan. Shizuka had been trying to get the two together for a long time, but Jou was, surprisingly, at a loss for words whenever he was around Mai.  
  
As Anzu scrambled over next to Mai to get a good look at the necklace, Shizuka slipped past an old lady peering closely at a jade pendant, and snuck out the door.  
  
Sighing, she thought, 'Finally...' She stuck her hand in the back pocket of her jeans and pulled out a couple of dollar bills. She counted them and smiled. 'Just enough for a vanilla sundae with triple the chocolate toppings.'  
  
She tucked the money back in her pocket and turned to her right down the street, towards the ice cream parlor. She smiled as the warm, afternoon sun flitted across her face and a small breeze picked up her front bangs. 'The guys are probably having a great time at the beach...'  
  
She looked into the open air groceries with vendors screaming out about the freshest fruit. She saw teenagers strolling arm in arm, sipping teas. There were little children, trying desperately to escape from the iron grips of their mothers, looking desperately into the stores hailing the latest shipments of Batz Maru and Duel Monsters.  
  
She smiled and was in very good spirits by the time she swept into the surprisingly nearly-empty ice cream place. But she wasn't paying attention to where she was walking and slammed head-on into someone...  
  
...someone who was carefully transporting an unlidded milkshake over to a small, empty table. The icy drink spilled all over the guy and he jumped back, sputtering.  
  
"Hey, watch it! What are you, blind?! You-" The guy cut off sharply. She looked up, expecting him to continue. He didn't, but she saw a familiar face.  
  
"Otogi!" She gasped. It was Otogi! He was brother's friend, who'd gone to Battle City with them.  
  
She turned around and grabbed a napkin and started to mop up his t-shirt, mumbling her apologies. Meanwhile, he was sputtering again.  
  
"Shizuka! I-I-I'm sorry! I wasn't-I didn't mean to imply-" He put the dripping cup on the table.  
  
"I know. It's okay." She said, calmly.  
  
"No, no, I-I shouldn't have said something like that." He grabbed her hand which was still trying to clean up milkshake goop. She stopped and looked up at him.  
  
They stood frozen like that for a second, before he dropped her hand and she turned to throw the napkin away.  
  
Shizuka stood at the trash can for a second. 'What just happened?' She decided to shake it off. She breathed in and sighed before walking back over to him.  
  
"I'm really sorry; I wasn't watching where I was going." She said.  
  
"And I'm sorry. For making that...comment." His hand moved to the back of his head, the way her brother's did whenever he was embarrassed about something.  
  
"It's okay." She smiled. "I'm not offended or anything. But since I ruined your shake, why don't I split my Sundae with you?"  
  
"You don't have to do-" He shook his head.  
  
"But I want to. I'll feel bad about it." She said pulling out her money.  
  
"O-Okay," He sighed. "Sure, I guess..."  
  
They walked over to the counter and Shizuka called the server over to her.  
  
"Um...I'll have a vanilla sundae..."  
  
"With chocolate sprinkles..." Otogi cut in.  
  
"...and chocolate powder..." she continued.  
  
"...and LOTS of chocolate syrup..."  
  
"Ooh, don't forget the extra-large cherry on top!"  
  
Ice cream guy nodded and pulled out a large plastic bowl from behind the counter. "Coming right up!"  
  
After a short awkward silence, she said to Otogi, "So, why aren't you at the beach with all the other guys?"  
  
He opened his mouth to answer, but just then, the door flew open with the tinkling of the bell and in stepped Mai and Anzu.  
  
"Come on, little one, Jou just called and said to come home, he's got a surprise for us." Mai said.  
  
"Oh, okay, um, I'm sorry, Otogi." She said. "But I have to go. Here." She held out the money. "You don't have to get me the change."  
  
He pushed her hand back. "The deal was you split it with me. As of now, you owe me a half a sundae and your presence to go with it." He smiled at her.  
  
She started to blush, but forced it back and nodded. "Okay, then. I owe you."  
  
Mai started tapping her foot impatiently and Shizuka waved to Otogi. "I'll see you around!"  
  
As she pushed out the door and headed towards the car, Anzu and Mai followed, giving her funny looks and coming up with a devious idea.  
  
~*~At the Katsuya Residence~*~  
  
Shizuka blinked. "That's your surprise?!"  
  
Jou had come back with a trophy and a large color photo of himself...in a bikini.  
  
"Can you believe I won?" He smiled broadly.  
  
"I still can't..." Seto muttered behind him.  
  
"That was just about the nastiest thing I ever saw." Malik shook his head. "...Jou coming out of the bathroom...in a thong."  
  
Anzu visibly twitched and Shizuka looked away from the photo.  
  
"It's way worse live, ladies." Honda said. "Poor Yugi and Ryou, they were eating..."  
  
Mai's jaw dropped and she looked behind Jou to the couch. The two smaller boys were lying there, smiling weakly and looking a little green.  
  
"No more hot dogs..." Ryou said quietly.  
  
Shizuka sighed as Jou proudly placed the trophy on the mantle and started to nail the picture up.  
  
"Wait a minute, is that my suit?!" Anzu screeched.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
SGL: What do you think? Not too cheesy, I hope, I'm afraid of cheese...  
  
Ryou #5: That came out a little weird.  
  
SGL: Whoops!  
  
***Ryou #5 is my own clone of Ryou...I won him off of Macavity's Telethon ^.^ ...*** 


	2. My name is NOT Harry Potter!

I know that a lot of people don't know who Otogi is, so if you want to at least see a picture of him, you can go to ryoubakura.com, under the character shrines. He's starts out 'evil', wanting the Millennium Puzzle, but ends up one of group.  
  
There's an OC in this chapter, but she doesn't even play a huge part in the story, I just wanted to let you know, because she's not a real character in the anime, and I didn't want to confuse anyone...  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own YuGiOh.  
  
His full name is Otogi Ryuuji...keep in mind that in Japan, last names come first, therefore his first name would be Ryuuji.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Jou nudged his sister's sleeping form. "Come on, Shizuka, time to wake up..."  
  
"Huh?" She pulled her bed-head out from under a blanket and blinked up at the face of her brother, towering over her. "Jou? How is it possible that you're awake before I am? On a Saturday?"  
  
"Because 1) we've got that convention thing that Grandpa's holding to set up for today and 2) not even I would stay up until three in the morning just to watch the stars from the roof." He smiled at her. He'd tried to stay up with her the night before, but he was too sleepy. She ended up having to push his unconscious body back through the window.  
  
She sat up and shook her head. "You take everything for granted." She swung her legs over the bed and walked out into the hall, towards the bathroom. Jou followed her and they picked up their toothbrushes. After a short fight over who got the toothpaste first, they started their daily ritual of brushing their teeth together.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Otogi stumbled out of his bathroom and fell back into his bed. 'Can't fall asleep...Game Shop holding convention......promised to help...'  
  
Even as he reminded himself of these things, he started falling back asleep. 'Everyone will be there...Shizuka will be there...'  
  
With that, he bolted upright, fully awake. He shook his head for a second at why the thought of her would make him do that, but the smell of breakfast came wafting up the stairs and he decided to get dressed first.  
  
Pulling on a black shirt and jeans, and tying his bandana on, he walked down the stairs and into the kitchen. There was a woman in her early sixties standing there, flipping pancakes.  
  
"Ohayo, Furi." He called out sleepily. Furi was the housemaid who'd been working for him ever since he was a kid. She was like second mother to him.  
  
"Ah, Harry Potter's awake..." she teased without even looking up from the pan. He scowled at the nickname she'd given him, on the account that he had messy black hair and bright green eyes.  
  
She handed Otogi a plate and tipped three pancakes onto it. "You're going to the Mutuoh's today, ne?"  
  
"Uh-huh...we're all helping out. Yugi's grandpa holding a formal convention- type thing for all these big Duel Monster people." He said, biting into a pancake.  
  
"Well, then, say hello to Sugoroku for me." She said strangely. "Oh, are you planning on showing off your Dungeon Dice game there?" She sat down with a plate of her own pancakes.  
  
"No, Sugoroku-san would kill me. I'm bad for business." He smirked.  
  
"Not my adorable Ryuuji..." she said ruffling his hair. They finished the rest of breakfast in a lazy silence. When he was finished, Otogi dumped his plate in the sink and looked at the clock on the wall.  
  
"I'd better get going, I'm supposed to help set up tables or something." He pecked Furi on the cheek and waved goodbye before setting off towards the bus stop. The convention was being held at the KaibaCorporation building downtown, which everyone thought of as really generous of Seto because he was letting them use it for free.  
  
Otogi sat himself on the bench and checked his watch. 'Five minutes...' He leaned back and a face immediately clouded his thoughts.  
  
'What?!' he opened his eyes and snapped his head up. 'Why am I thinking about her? Again?'  
  
He didn't have time to answer his own questions as someone called his name out.  
  
"Otogi!" It was Jou, and where Jou went...  
  
"Good morning, Otogi." Shizuka called out from behind her much taller older brother.  
  
Otogi could feel his face heating a little when she waved. He just shook it off and waved back.  
  
"Hey, Jou. Ohayo Shizuka." He smiled. The two stopped in front of the bench and sat down on either side of him.  
  
For a moment Shizuka and Otogi just blushed at each other. It was just for a short moment, but Jou noticed it.  
  
'What does he think he's doing, making eyes at my sister?'  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"BE CAREFUL! YOU'LL BREAK IT!" Sugoroku roared at Jou and Honda, who'd been struggling for a long time with a very large and VERY heavy box of DM electronic equipment because Grandpa couldn't decide where to put it.  
  
Otogi shook his head as he polished a huge glass exhibition case with Ryou and Yugi. They were supposed to 'make it glow'. It was going to be showing off some very rare and powerful cards, including a loaner of the god cards and one of Seto's Blue Eyes.  
  
"Grr..." Otogi growled at a certain little spot on the glass that was giving him hell. It was very small spot, but Sugoroku would see it and bludgeon him with a duel disc.  
  
"Bloody perfectionist..." He mumbled. Ryou heard him and chuckled.  
  
"He's very ruthless, isn't he? I mean, Yugi's one of the guests of honor and he's polishing with us."  
  
Yugi wasn't paying attention. He was looking over to the small stage, where Bakura, Malik, and Yami were trying to set up the microphone. Unfortunately, the three Egyptians were...ill-chosen for the job, as Malik was the only one who knew how one worked.  
  
The result was a lot of ear-splitting feedback going through the room.  
  
Once Yugi, Ryou, and Otogi finished their polish job, Yugi went to go fetch the three god cards, Ryou went to help with the mic, and Otogi was left to look around at the grand ballroom. There was thick, rich red carpeting; a high ceiling hung with crystal chandeliers; off-white pillars around the dance floor; and the walls were painted with beautiful murals of the ocean in various weather.  
  
Someone knocked him out of his daze by tapping him lightly on the shoulder. It was Shizuka.  
  
"It's beautiful, ne?" She said softly, gazing at the chandeliers. "There's a balcony over there that overlooks the entire city. I can show it to you later, if you want. But for now, Seto wants his card guarded with 'the hands of heaven itself.'"  
  
Otogi smiled at that and she handed him the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. He placed it in the case on a black velvet pillow and shut the case again.  
  
Shizuka smiled. "So, Otogi-"  
  
"Call me Ryuuji." 'Why did I say that?!' He immediately demanded of himself.  
  
"Ryuuji," she blushed a little. "You're coming to the convention tonight, right?"  
  
"Yeah, I've got a suit ready."  
  
"You? In a suit?"  
  
"Yep, it horrifies even me." He chuckled.  
  
"No, I just meant, I've never seen you in a suit. You must look really nice." She had wanted to ask him to the convention, but she was just getting more nervous.  
  
She took in a breath. It was now or never. "Ryuuji, would you like to- "  
  
"Shizuka!" the two whirled around to see Seto walking towards them with a smile on his face.  
  
"Hey, Shizuka, would you like to come to the convention with me tonight?"  
  
"W-with you? A-As in, your date?" She tried to not show how much she wanted to refuse. Seto was alright, but she was in the process of asking Ryuuji.  
  
Otogi looked very crestfallen. "Um, I'd better go check on Yugi and the cards. I'll see guys around"  
  
"Ryuuji..." She started.  
  
"So, how about it?" Seto asked.  
  
"Um, Seto, it's really great of you to ask me-"  
  
"Great! I'll send the limo down around 7:00." He smiled at her and walked off.  
  
Shizuka sighed.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"So, I heard Seto asked you to be his date." Jou nudged his silent sister as they were walking home.  
  
"Yeah, I guess." She replied absent-mindedly.  
  
"You think he'd let me go in the limo?"  
  
"Not after the Bikini incident." She said, half-joking.  
  
There was a long pause before Jou broke it. "Are you okay?"  
  
"Hmm...Oh, I'm fine." She waved her hand.  
  
"No, you're not. Is this about Seto?"  
  
Shizuka stopped. "Yeah, but I don't want you going off and attacking him or anything...I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself."  
  
"No, I'm just wondering why you'd be upset, I mean, the guys loaded, has all these limos, calls me a dog on occasion, but you can do worse..."  
  
They started walking again. "What do you mean worse?" He seemed to have meant something by it.  
  
"I mean, like, Otogi, for instance." He said hurriedly.  
  
"Ryuuji is a great guy!" She said indignantly.  
  
"Ryuuji? So you're on a first name basis?" he demanded.  
  
"What's it to you? It's my life and I can like who ever I want to!"  
  
"Like? Now wait a second, how can you like a guy who almost got us killed?"  
  
"It was his dad!"  
  
"Yeah? Well, like father, like son!"  
  
Shizuka growled at this and bolted off towards the house.  
  
"Hey! Hey! Shizuka get back here!" He shouted. "You're not going to be with that guy and that's FINAL!"  
  
She didn't even notice his words.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
SGL: Slowly working the plot in...  
  
Ryou #5: Cool, I wasn't sick in this one!  
  
Bakura: Yeah, you were polishing.  
  
Ryou #5: And you couldn't figure out the microphone.  
  
Bakura: In my day, you just yelled, the louder the voice, the more power you had.  
  
Malik: (into Bakura's ear) AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
Bakura: O.O (falls over)  
  
Malik: ^.^ Cool! (sings) I've got the power! 


	3. Shifting Ocean

Yay! Someone finally made a Yu-Gi-Oh Quiz! My top two people were Malik and Seto, the sexy bad boys...if you're wondering how a girl got them, for the first question, you have to put 'Not Sure' or else you'll get Anzu, like I first did...(shudder)...  
  
Here's the site: http://geocities.com/kitzaku/  
  
Malik: So, you're most like me?  
  
Seto: (shudders) scary...  
  
SGL: Hey! I'm like you, too...  
  
Seto: (pauses)  
  
Seto: (shudders) scary...  
  
Ryou #5: She doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh...she just owns me...the clone...  
  
Ryou: Yep...  
  
SGL: And if anyone wants to see a really HOT picture of Otogi, go to mozlane.ibusinesses.net/~yugioh/, under the character bios...  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Ryuuji? Ryuuji? Are you okay?" A gentle old woman furrowed her eyebrows in worry. It was sunset and she was standing in the doorway to Otogi's bedroom. Otogi himself was just laying facedown on his bed which worried Furi, because the Convention was in an hour and Otogi hadn't even begun to get ready yet.  
  
"Ryuuji?" She said gently, before setting herself on the edge of the bed and placing a hand on the back of his head. He sighed a little to acknowledge it.  
  
"Ryuuji, what is it? What's wrong? And I know something's wrong, so don't tell me it's nothing."  
  
He didn't move, but Furi knew it was just a test, to see if she would really listen. After a moment, he sat up and looked her in the eyes, which still startled her after all these years, because they were so beautiful and vivid.  
  
"It's a girl..." He trailed off, blushing.  
  
"A girl?" She raised her eyebrow. "But the handsome, talented, charming Otogi Ryuuji NEVER has any problems with girls." She teased.  
  
Otogi blushed again.  
  
"You've also never blushed over a girl...or over anything..." Furi furrowed her eyebrows again. "She must be special."  
  
"Yeah, she is." Otogi said faintly. "But I'm not the only one who thinks so."  
  
"Who else?"  
  
"Kaiba." He said simply.  
  
"Ah, the rich boy..." Furi sighed. "Well, what are you going to do about it?"  
  
"What do you want me to do? She's already going to the Convention with him."  
  
"So you're not going at all? You're just going to give up?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
Furi humphed and got up from the bed. "Fine, but the Ryuuji I know would never just give up on something. It seems you've grown weaker."  
  
Otogi just slumped back down onto his bed. "Yeah, so what?"  
  
Furi rarely ever got frustrated with people, but she was becoming annoyed by Otogi's attitude. "Look, you ARE going to get on that handsome suit of yours and you ARE going to that Convention and you ARE going to make that girl forget all about that rich boy even if I have to drag you myself."  
  
"What's the point?" Otogi demanded, more to himself than Furi. "Kaiba's dead rich and she'd be much happier with him.  
  
"Is she that kind of girl?" Furi asked quietly. "Does she care about money?"  
  
"Well, no, but-"  
  
"Then, you have as good a chance as anyone. So go on, get your suit on, I'm getting dressed and driving you down there myself." She turned and walked down the hall.  
  
Otogi knew that if he refused he'd somehow end up with three weeks worth of housework. So he slowly stood up and went over to the closet to get his suit.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Hey, Shizuka! Seto's here!" Jou called up the stairs. Sighing heavily, Shizuka stood up from the chair in the kitchen that she was sitting on, holding her head in her hands. Then, she stepped through the kitchen doors, nervously combing her fingers through her long hair.  
  
'I hope Ryuuji's going to be there...I have to talk to him.' She swept into the living room, right past Jou without speaking to him. She was still angry at him. 'If he still thinks he's getting a ride, he's got another thing coming...'  
  
She went to the door and opened it. Seto wasn't there, instead a chauffeur stood at the door with a bouquet of roses.  
  
"A limousine for a Miss Katsuya?" He asked. Shizuka nodded. "And your brother, miss?"  
  
Growling a little, she stepped out the door with Jou in tow.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Otogi groaned as Furi nabbed him by the wrist and started to drag him down the hall, towards the ballroom.  
  
"Now, which one is she?" Furi squinted around at all the girls. She kept pulling him, until they reached a skinny man in his thirties.  
  
"Name?" He asked abruptly.  
  
"Otogi." Ryuuji answered quietly. The man nodded and motioned for them to go inside. Furi kept dragging him, until they were next to a wall mural of a thunderstorm on the rough sea. She planted him there.  
  
"Now, I'm not staying, I wouldn't want to 'cramp your style'..." It was the first remotely comforting she'd said all night. "But if you come home without having even talked to her, you're not getting in the house. I've taken your key and you know that I'll KNOW if you didn't speak to her."  
  
Furi turned and disappeared into the crowd. Otogi sighed and slumped against the mural.  
  
Everything was relatively quiet for a moment, but suddenly, Ryuuji snapped his head up. He didn't know why, he just thought he should.  
  
And there, just stepping in, was Shizuka, followed closely by her brother. Otogi was stunned. He couldn't move.  
  
"She's so beautiful..." He whispered. She wore a pale pink dress and her long hair her flowed about her. And despite the slightly pissed off look on her face, her brown eyes glittered softly with excitement.  
  
He suddenly felt his feet moving towards her, and despite his lack of knowing what to say to her, he didn't stop himself...until Seto came along from out of nowhere. He draped his arm around her shoulders and swept her off, probably to meet some of his rich and powerful friends.  
  
Ryuuji sighed and walked over to the glass case he'd been polishing and arranging earlier. There were now about a hundred of the rarest DM cards in the world sitting in the case on carpets of velvet. And there in the middle, surrounded by security cameras and touch lasers on the inside of the glass, were the three god cards, Obelisk, Ra, and Osirus.  
  
Ryuuji quickly got bored of them, as Obelisk reminded him too much of Seto. He looked around to see if any of his friends had arrived yet. Yugi and Yami were standing next to Sugoroku surrounded by a large group of important-looking people. They were all having a loud discussion on playing strategies and how important they were.  
  
Seto was with Shizuka in another large group that included Malik, Bakura, Honda, and Jou. They weren't talking about duel monsters, just joking around about how late the performing musical group was. Shizuka's face broke out into smile and laughter while Otogi was watching her. He looked away.  
  
'Where's Ryou? And the other girls?' He asked himself. Looking around, he couldn't find them. But he did see quite a few girls giving him the old flirty-smile-and-little-wave. He ignored all of them.  
  
He walked towards the center of the room to see Anzu, Isis, and Mai watching a demo of the new duel discs on the dance floor. And Ryou? He was just leaning against another mural, this one of a calm ocean with a thick fog settled over it.  
  
Otogi walked over to the wall and leaned on it next to Ryou. "Having fun?"  
  
"Like a fat kid at Thanksgiving..." Ryou said with a smile.  
  
Otogi snorted. "Didn't expect to hear that..."  
  
"I didn't expect to say it, but that guy over there is scaring me..." Ryou pointed at a huge, pot-bellied short man raiding the appetizer table.  
  
Otogi only glanced at the man with disgust for a second. Then, his eyes instinctively then slid over to someone else...  
  
"Well, what is it?" Ryou said, unexpectedly.  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
  
"It means that something's on your mind that you need to talk about." Ryou said before taking a sip of his punch. But Otogi wasn't paying attention; he was looking at Shizuka again.  
  
"You really like her, huh?" Ryou said simply.  
  
Otogi didn't even try to deny it. "How'd you know?"  
  
"Everyone can see it. It's just the way you look at her." Ryou smiled.  
  
Otogi stared at Ryou for a moment and turned to face the mural. He then started to repeatedly thump his head against the wall, meanwhile holding a conversation with Ryou.  
  
"Why couldn't I ask her before Seto did?"  
  
"Stop it; brain damage isn't going to attract Shizuka..." Ryou paused, probably to sip his punch again, but continued. "Or maybe it will..." Ryou trailed off.  
  
"What are you talking about?" Otogi moaned, finally removing his head from the wall to look at Ryou...  
  
Only Ryou wasn't there, he was now making his way to the punch table. In his place stood Shizuka.  
  
"Shizuka!" Otogi nearly fell backwards.  
  
"Hello, Ryuuji." She smiled. "Are you having fun?"  
  
"Erm...some...what about you? Is Seto introducing you to all those ritzy people?"  
  
"Yeah, but they were kinda boring, so I left." She leaned back against the mural.  
  
After a long silence, Ryuuji opened his mouth and said nervously. "Umm...y- you look...absolutely..."  
  
She turned to face him, her soft brown eyes questioning.  
  
The moment she looked him in the eye, he felt like he suddenly regained his confidence. He smiled and said. "...amazing."  
  
She blushed and looked down at her feet. He smiled again and placed a finger under her chin and tilted her head up. She was still blushing.  
  
"I-I promised to show you that balcony, remember?" She reached down to his other hand and curled her fingers around his. "Come on."  
  
Holding his hand, she led him around the dance floor, past two more murals. The first mural depicted a beautiful summer's day with seagulls floating high on the winds and islands dotting the horizon. The second showed the ocean at its angriest. There was a snowstorm blazing across the icy waves, the rough winds knocking chunks out of a rocky island.  
  
Shizuka pulled him around the corner and brought him to a set of glass sliding doors. She pushed them open and they stepped outside.  
  
A chilly breeze immediately circled their ankles, the signal of fall's arrival. They walked out to the curved marble banister and leaned forward against it. The night was beautiful. The entire city was alight with different colors and the pitch black sky shimmered with stars.  
  
Shizuka shivered a little, the breeze was blowing through the thin fabric of her sleeveless dress. Ryuuji saw this and gave her his jacket.  
  
He looked into the sky. "Wow, I'd've thought the city was too bright for us to see the stars."  
  
Shizuka paused and looked up, too. "Nothing's brighter than a star...even if it's a little hard to see; you still know it's there. That's why people make wishes on them."  
  
Ryuuji watched at her. She was still staring up into the sky, her lips slightly parted.  
  
"Make a wish..." He whispered. She turned to him and looked up into his eyes. He started leaning in slowly.  
  
Just inches away, they closed their eyes and she whispered. "What would I wish for?"  
  
And they kissed, softly, just a brushing of the lips. They pulled away a little, never opening their eyes. Ryuuji's right arm hooked itself around her waist and his left hand moved up to touch her cheek and brush away the hair from her face.  
  
"What do you want the most?" He said softly, finally opening his eyes.  
  
She started leaning in again. "You..."  
  
They met in another kiss, this one promising to be deeper, but it was cut short by someone's voice ringing out into the night.  
  
"GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF MY SISTER!"  
  
They snapped their eyes open and turned to the doors where and angry Jou and a shocked Seto were standing.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
SGL: Cool beans! My first cliffhanger...sorry, if it's bit sappy, I was listening to Bond's Kismet, which has a really romantic feel to it, and Enya which is very poetic, so I might have gone a little overboard with the story.  
  
Seto: How come I can't get the girl?  
  
SGL: Because that would defeat the story's purpose...  
  
Malik: And what about me?  
  
Ryou: And me?  
  
Yugi: And me?  
  
SGL: (mumbles) If one more person says 'and me', I'm going to scream...  
  
Bakura: And me?  
  
SGL: THAT'S IT! YOU'RE ALL GETTING YAOI COUPLES EXCEPT RYUUJI!  
  
ALL: Nooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
SGL: JK! Not in this story, I'd be highly unpopular...although, I don't know what's wrong with it... 


	4. Accident

SGL: Ah...I've finally outlined my complete plot and I have to say, I think you guys will like it, but I'm going to be changing the rating, next chapter, up to R and changing the genre from humor to drama because it becomes much more suggestive and...dramatic...  
  
Seto: They never would've guessed...  
  
SGL: And I apologize now, because for most of the story, Jou's going to be the antagonist...sorry Jou fans! But I give him a very emotional reason...  
  
Ryou #5: Now, on with the story! I got my popcorn this time!  
  
Ryou: You're so lazy...God forbid I need a stunt double...  
  
Ryou #5: O.O  
  
SGL: I don't own YuGiOh and in this chapter I'm using a person's POV because otherwise it's too hard to explain.  
  
***And I would once again like to endorse that HOT picture of Otogi at mozlane.ibusinesses.net/~yugioh/, under the character bios.***  
  
~*~Shizuka's POV~*~  
  
I can't believe what just happened. I mean, we were all having fun, until JOU came along and spoiled it for us...I can't believe what's gotten into him, I'm grown up and I can take care of myself.  
  
Here's what happened first...  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Shizuka stood frozen, not out of being caught, but out of anger. How dare Jou interrupt them like that?  
  
"Otogi! I'm gonna kill you!" Jou roared before lunging at Ryuuji. Shizuka yelped and dove in front of him.  
  
"Katsuya Jounouchi, what do you think you're dong?!" Shizuka demanded.  
  
"I should be asking you the same thing! What do YOU think YOU'RE doing, standing out on the balcony, ALONE with a guy you don't even know, smooching it up, while your date's inside looking for you!"  
  
"I know Ryuuji perfectly well, not that it's any of your business!"  
  
Seto still stood in frozen shock at the door.  
  
"And you!" Jou flung himself on Otogi (sounds wrong, I know, I know...). "You're out here taking advantage of a young girl...my sister!"  
  
Otogi didn't respond. He seemed to be shaking with anger. He walked right up to Jou.  
  
"She's not so young a girl. She is, in fact, a woman, a woman that I've fallen for, so get over it and butt out." He stomped back inside, brushing by Seto.  
  
Jou opened his mouth but Shizuka cut him off abruptly. "I'm not speaking to you ever again."  
  
She turned on heel and reached for the doors, throwing herself inside and searching the walls for Ryuuji. He was heading towards the other side of the room already, where Ryou was standing confused.  
  
She started heading over, but a voice amplified by the microphones called out, "Dinner is served."  
  
There was a great rush to get to the dinner tables and she found herself being swept up to the front table, where all of her friends were sitting. She reluctantly sat down at the seat labeled with her name on a card.  
  
The table filled up relatively quickly with her chattering friends who didn't even seem to notice anything had happened.  
  
Soon, Jou and Seto sat themselves down at their seats, which, unfortunately, were on either side of her. Ryuuji, at least, was directly across from her. He saw her gave a small smile, but it melted away when he saw the look Jou was giving him.  
  
Dinner was served and it was delicious. Seto had pulled out all the stops. But Shizuka merely poked at it a little with her chopsticks. She felt like she'd lost her appetite.  
  
Pretty soon, Yugi and Malik began a loud, but comical, argument over whether duelists with yamis performed better. Malik was soundly against harboring a spirit in his body, but then again, who could blame him, his own experiences proved disastrous.  
  
~*~Shizuka's POV~*~  
  
So that's how it began. I'm still not sure what happened next. Jou got into the conversation on yamis, bringing his bad mood with him. He somehow managed to massively offend half the table causing them all to leave the Convention in anger, including Ryuuji. I wanted to go with him, but Jou threatened to tell Mom and Dad about me seeing a guy, which would not be fun.  
  
Anyway, when Jou insulted the yamis, Yugi left with Yami, followed by Anzu, Bakura, Otogi, and surprisingly, Honda. But, there were actually some people who agreed with my brother. Isis and Malik did, because Yami Malik killed their father, so I understand. But Seto and Mai had a really stupid reason. They said that the yamis dueled better so having them with a person in a match should've been considered cheating.  
  
Ryou remained neutral, which I thought to be strange because his yami used to beat him. Later, I spoke to him. He said that it had nothing to do with the argument or his opinion on it. He just refused to fight with his friends. I gave him hug for that.  
  
I just can't help but think how cool this guy could be sometimes.  
  
Anyway, Seto had another limo take me and Jou home. Good thing those limos are huge, because there was no way that I was going to sit anywhere less than an arm's length away from him.  
  
When we got into the house, the first thing I did was go up to take a shower. Well, maybe not the first thing...does slamming the door in Jou's face count?  
  
Anyway, when I crossed the living room to get to the stairs, I walked by the photo of the bikini contest. For the first time, I really looked at it. Jou was in the foreground, in Anzu's thong bikini and holding a trophy, with the biggest smile on his face. In the back, all the guys were gathered, with disgusted and horrified, but amused looks on their faces.  
  
What happened tonight was the hugest fight I'd ever seen in my life, including the ones my mom and dad used to have. I haven't seen anyone that angry in...forever. I'd thought that this was the strongest group around. I hope that this will pass, but I have a feeling it's going to take a lot.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Otogi wrenched open his door after he unlocked it and entered his dark house. He was still steaming from the fight from before.  
  
"I can't believe Jou! He actually took his anger out on everyone else!" He was about to throw of his suit jacket when he realized that Shizuka still had it.  
  
"Shizuka..." He whispered. He thought back to the balcony...the kiss...  
  
BEE-EEP-BEE-EEP-BEE-EEP  
  
"Huh?" The ringing of the phone had shaken him out of his thoughts. He went over and picked it up.  
  
"Otogi residence." He said lazily.  
  
"Hello, is this Otogi Ryuuji?"  
  
"Uh, yeah, I am." He said a little cautiously. He had a bad feeling about this.  
  
"This is the Domino City Hospital. We have a patient here by the name of Minota Furi. Is she the live-in housemaid at your residence?"  
  
"Uh, yes, she doesn't have any family other than me. Why? What's wrong? What's happened to her?"  
  
"Miss Minota has been in a car accident."  
  
~*~At the Hospital~*~  
  
Otogi's ears were ringing. The doctor had just told him that Furi was in critical condition. She was alive, but hadn't woken up yet.  
  
"Because she's older, she's also more susceptible to a coma. She may be staying here for a while." The doctor said gently.  
  
"Can I see her, please?" The doctor looked like he wanted to disagree, but after seeing the look on Otogi's face, relented.  
  
Ryuuji was lead by a nurse to the darkened room where Furi lay. He sat down in a chair next to her and held her hand. He couldn't believe it. Furi was supposed to be the strong one. And for the first time in his entire life, Otogi saw her as an old woman.  
  
Looking up at the bleeping monitors, at all the wires, at the needles and IV bags, Otogi felt...alone.  
  
"Furi, I'm so sorry. Please don't leave me." He whispered as the tears fell from his face onto their hands.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
SGL: (sniffles) Oh man, I can't believe I wrote that.  
  
Ryuuji: (sniffles too) Me neither...  
  
SGL: I'm sorry if it was a bit confusing with the whole POV stuff. I promise that the rest of the story won't have that. It will be in 3rd person omniscient, for those who know what that means. I almost always write in that.  
  
Also, I know it's a bit short and kinda not up to my standards. Next chapter's going to be one hell of a ride though, so please stick around to read it.  
  
Ryuuji: (reads outline) Whoa...cool...I do THAT in Chapter 7?!  
  
SGL: (nods)  
  
Ryuuji: Dude...  
  
SGL: I saw 'Signs' last night, freaky movie, but good...really good...though, now, I'm afraid of going to sleep without a bottle of water nearby...or a baseball bat... 


	5. The Glass Child

SGL: I would once again like to apologize for Jou's antagonism...I sort of need him to be like that...  
  
Also, I made Jou's parents sort of together.  
  
This chapter's a bit short, but a little more serious....hope you like it!  
  
~*~Ryou's Voice Over~*~  
  
This damned fight's been going on for weeks. School's started and everything and people are starting to notice that our little group's become two little groups. Everyone's coming up to me because I seem to be the only one running between the two. Probably because I am...  
  
I have a plan, though, to stop the fight, but it's going to be tough. I have to get Shizuka and Otogi together, so they'll all realize how dumb it is to hate people because they disagree on one point. We're all friends. We should love each other...  
  
But like I said, it's going to be tough. From what I hear, Jou told his parents about Shizuka wanting to see the guy who came up with the Dungeon Dice Monsters game. Apparently she's not allowed to see 'the son of the psycho from down the street'. Shizuka can't even speak to Otogi or else Jou will run right to their parents, who'd lock her up and home school her for the rest of High School.  
  
It must suck to be a glass child.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"So you're saying I should duel him for it?" Jou said uncertainly.  
  
Ryou nodded. "Of course. It's the only noble way to do anything."  
  
"What should the stakes be, exactly?"  
  
Ryou shrugged. "It's up to you."  
  
"Yeah, thanks, man. I think I'll do it." Jou pulled out his deck.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Ryuuji sat down at his lunch table with Yugi and a bunch of others who were on their side of the fight. Everyone was quiet. They all had been ever since the night of the Convention almost a month ago. Yugi in particular seemed greatly depressed by the loss of his best friend.  
  
"Hey! Otogi!" Otogi looked up to see Jou standing over him with a confident look on his face.  
  
"Otogi, I challenge you to a duel after school. Meet me in the parking lot of the old warehouse. Seto's lending us his duel discs. And you can bring anyone you want to cheer you on, but I'm coming alone."  
  
"Why should I accept?" Otogi growled.  
  
"Because of Shizuka..."  
  
Otogi's eyes widened as Jou turned.  
  
Otogi looked at the rest of the table. "Do you think I should do it, guys?"  
  
"If not for Shizuka, do it to show them that we don't need a yami to beat their sorry butts." Yugi said bitterly, which kind of scared Otogi.  
  
Anzu paused, and then said. "Do it for Shizuka."  
  
~*~After School~*~  
  
Otogi walked into the unkempt parking lot. Jou was already there, sitting on an old wooden box.  
  
"You came..."  
  
Otogi cut him off. "Yeah, I did. Now, what's this about Shizuka?"  
  
Jou grinned, not in a nice way. "You don't seem to want to leave my sister alone, no matter what I do. So, I thought we should settle this like men."  
  
"What are the stakes?" Ryuuji clenched his hand into a fist.  
  
"If you win, I'll tell my parents that you're okay, and then you can see Shizuka without anyone's interference."  
  
"And if you win?"  
  
"If I win, you are never to try and see or contact her again. And if you do go near her, I'll tell my parents that you raped her."  
  
Otogi's eyes widened.  
  
"Yeah, and even if she says you didn't, or that she did it willingly, you're both underage, you could still get arrested."  
  
Otogi's jaw dropped. He couldn't believe that Jou would go through so much just to keep them away from each other.  
  
"Fine, Jou, I agree," Otogi reached into his pocket to pull out his deck. "But before we duel, tell me why you're so against the idea of us."  
  
"Because..." Jou said quietly. "I have this gut feeling that you're going to take her away from me, forever...I just know it, and I can't let that happen."  
  
Otogi narrowed his eyes. "What if she wants to be taken away?"  
  
Jou let loose a low growl. "Shut up and duel."  
  
So they began their duel; thinking that they alone knew what would happen if the other lost. But the bright eyes of another person glowing in the shadows of the building walls told otherwise.  
  
"You can do it Otogi." Ryou whispered.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Ryou slumped into his house, throwing down his book bag.  
  
"Hey, son, how come you're so late from school?" A strong, but kind voice called out from the kitchen.  
  
"I was with some friends." Ryou said simply.  
  
"Hey," His dad came out the kitchen, wiping his hands off on a towel. "Are you okay? You seem a little off."  
  
"Dad," Ryou sighed, sitting on the sofa. "Have you ever tried to help your friends, but just got everything more screwed up?"  
  
"Yes." He sat down on the couch next to Ryou. "Why? What happened?"  
  
"I just made the biggest mistake ever." His face fell into his hands.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"I lost...I lost...Shizuka..." Otogi murmured as he walked down the street. Her pretty face and soft smile invaded his thoughts. "I can't ever speak to you again, or else we'll be separated, for good..."  
  
He pushed into his house, expecting Furi's warm voice to welcome him home, but the house was dark and cold. There was no one in the kitchen, no one in the living room, no one home at all.  
  
Otogi didn't even bother turning on the lights. He just stumbled up the stairs, and fell onto his bed. Reaching into his dresser, he pulled out a photo of the group right after Battle City. Yugi (or rather, Yami) was looking so proud, with Jou next to him, and Mai smiling at Jou. Anzu was standing next to Honda, boring friendship speech ready, and Ryou was in the middle of it all, with a warm and excited smile on his face.  
  
And, there, in the far corner of the picture, was Shizuka, smiling at them all, Yugi having won, and all of their friends so happy about it.  
  
In the other corner, was himself, winking at the camera. But for the first time, Otogi looked behind himself, to see Seto, holding hands with someone who'd gotten cut off from the picture.  
  
'Who could that be?' It was a woman's hand, but there weren't that many girls who hung around them. There was Anzu, Mai, Shizuka, and...  
  
Otogi looked a little closer. On the hand were a gold cuff and a gold ring. 'Isis...' he thought. If Seto liked Isis, why would he ask Shizuka to the Convention?  
  
As he tried to figure it out, his eyes brushed over Jou's smiling face again. "Jou..." He hissed.  
  
He'd probably gotten Seto to ask her, somehow...  
  
But Otogi couldn't think of anything to prove it. Growling again, Otogi sank into a fitful sleep.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
SGL: Hmm...What was I gonna say? Oh yeah, thanks to everyone who reviewed! It was highly appreciated ^.^ !  
  
Ryou #5: Hey, anyone have any ketchup for my fries?  
  
Ryou: Stunt double...  
  
Ryou #5: O.O Eep! 


	6. Rain

SGL: Sorry it took so long for me to get this out, I was on an end-of- summer visit to relatives and the only computer there would've croaked and died if I tried to type anything longer than a page on it...  
  
Ryou #5: Lazy...  
  
SGL: Quiet!  
  
Mokuba: Cool, I get to be here...She doesn't own YuGiOh  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Otogi lay back on his couch, not even paying attention to the tell-tale crunching sound of a chip bag underneath him. The TV was on some infomercial, and the house was dark. He didn't care. He hadn't eaten anything remotely nutritious in 4 days. He didn't care. He hadn't bathed or brushed his teeth or combed his hair or even changed his clothes in 4 days. He didn't care...  
  
Well, the neighbor's cat did...  
  
Anyway, it was four days ago that he'd lost the duel to Jou, and now, he couldn't see Shizuka. Or else Jou might tell her parents that he'd done something...something he'd NEVER do to ANYONE, especially Shizuka.  
  
BEE-EEP-BEE-EEP-BEE-EEP  
  
The phone was ringing, again, and Ryuuji was seriously considering not picking up and allowing the caller to think he was dead.  
  
BEE-EEP-BEE-EEP-BEE-EEP  
  
Grumbling about persistency, Otogi finally sat up and reached for the phone at his feet.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Ryuuji? Ryuuji, are you alive?"  
  
"No."  
  
"It's me, Ryou. Otogi, you haven't been to school. We're all getting worried. Especially Shizuka, she says you haven't been returning her calls."  
  
"I haven't..."  
  
"Look, you-you've got to get out of the house, Ryuuji." Ryou sounded worried. "I'll meet you in the park in thirty minutes. We'll be alone...I just need to talk to you."  
  
"I haven't showered in days."  
  
"Oh...well, then, put on some deodorant at least..."  
  
~*~Half an Hour Later~*~  
  
Otogi sat on the rusty swing set in the park, rocking slowly back and forth. He shivered a little when the breeze blew through his open jacket. The brightly colored fall leaves circled down to the ground and Otogi could smell the cold, clean air.  
  
He's been waiting for only a few minutes, when Ryou finally came running up.  
  
"Otogi!" He waved. Panting a little, Ryou sat down on the swing next to Ryuuji, and began to swing high. "I thought I'd missed you."  
  
"So, why is it that you wanted to see me so bad?" Otogi said, swinging a little higher to match Ryou.  
  
"I was worried, and so was everyone else."  
  
"You mean everyone else on our side of the fight."  
  
"Sort of..." Ryou sighed. "Deep down, they're still all your friends, still friends with each other..."  
  
"Is that why Yugi kicked the soccer ball into Jou's groin the other day in gym class?"  
  
"Tough love..."  
  
Otogi found himself chucking at that. How odd, it was the first sign of positive emotion he'd shown in days.  
  
"Look," Ryou said. "I know about the duel." No answer from Otogi. "And I know that you can't just give up."  
  
Otogi had stopped smiling. "If you know about the duel, then you know that if I speak to her again..."  
  
"Jou wouldn't do that...not if he didn't find out." Ryou had a slightly mischievous smile on his face.  
  
"Jou would do that, and I know he'd be able to find out somehow." Ryuuji insisted stubbornly.  
  
"Why are you giving up?" Ryou stopped swinging. "You're no that type of person."  
  
Otogi suddenly remembered the last time he was fed that line...Furi...  
  
"How do you know that I'm not?"  
  
Ryou said quietly. "I just do..." After a pause he continued. "Or maybe you're just afraid...afraid of being with her."  
  
"Why should I be afraid?!" Ryuuji jumped off his swing. "I've been with girls before! And more intimately than I've been with Shizuka!" His face flushed a little when he said this.  
  
Ryou started swinging again. "Not with girls that you've fallen in love with..."  
  
Otogi froze. "What did you say?"  
  
"You heard me. And I can tell..." Ryou paused again. "Everyone can see it. It's just the way you look at her."  
  
Otogi remembered this all too well, and didn't like the way it'd turned out the last time. So, he did the only thing he could think of.  
  
He ran.  
  
He ran home, leaving a slightly smiling Ryou behind, swinging high into the air.  
  
~*~At the Katsuya Residence~*~  
  
Shizuka picked up the phone to call Otogi again. Why was he ignoring her?  
  
When she held it to her ear, she found that the line was being used by Jou who was talking to Seto.  
  
"Hey, why don't you just take her to dinner?" Jou seemed to be pleading.  
  
'Her? Does Jou mean me?' Shizuka wondered.  
  
"I filled my end of the bargain!" Seto hissed.  
  
"But Shizuka seems so upset right now..."  
  
"Maybe that's not my damned business."  
  
"Well, if you'd kept a good watch on your dates, none of this would've happened." Jou insisted.  
  
"And if you'd be less overprotective of your sister, and let her date Otogi, this wouldn't have started in the first place."  
  
"Hey, it's not my fault that you impregnated Isis."  
  
Shizuka gasped and tried to cover it with her hand. The guys didn't notice.  
  
"Look, you were never to mention that again!"  
  
"Kaiba, people are gonna notice sooner or later."  
  
"Yeah, well by taking Shizuka to the Convention, I've assured it to be later."  
  
"WHAT?!" Shizuka screeched into mouth of the phone.  
  
She didn't need the thump sound coming from downstairs to know that both of the guys had fallen over.  
  
"KATSUYA JOUNOUCHI, WHAT THE FUCK HAVE YOU DONE?!"  
  
"Sh-Shizuka, what are you doing listening in-" Jou stammered  
  
"BE QUIET, YOU OVERBEARING BASTARD!"  
  
"Shizuka," Seto began somewhat nervously. "I'm really sorry, I never meant to-"  
  
"It's okay Seto; Jou was the one who dragged you into this. But if you would please hang up so that I could have a word with my brother?" She strained out.  
  
"Okay, I hope it all works out."  
  
"Thank you, Seto. You'll make a great father...congratulations!"  
  
"Uh, thanks." Seto hung up.  
  
"Shizuka, come on, I was just trying to protect you." Jou said.  
  
There was no answer, but a few seconds later, a 'THWACK' sound was heard in Shizuka's receiver.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Shizuka sat on the steps of the school, waiting to see if Ryuuji would finally come into school. Her brother had driven her up early, because she'd asked for it and considering the knot on his forehead, he was afraid of her wrath...  
  
Finally, a sulky looking Otogi came up the street, books on his back as he fumbled with his head band.  
  
"Ryuuji!" She cried out and waved.  
  
He snapped his head up and froze. Neither of them moved, just stared straight ahead. Ryuuji slowly tied up his bandana and walked up to her.  
  
She opened her mouth to say something, but he didn't stop. He walked right past her.  
  
Her jaw hung open as he walked into school without even looking back.  
  
Her heart broke right then, because she'd wanted to tell him something that she'd realized while she was beating Jou over the head with the living room lamp...  
  
She was in love with Ryuuji.  
  
~*~Ryou's Voice Over~*~  
  
So, things have officially gone from bad to worse. He snubbed her. He SNUBBED her. I told him to try and see her and instead, he snubs her. God, what an idiot...Now everyone's mad at everyone. Especially Shizuka...mad at her brother...mad at her friends...mad at Ryuuji...  
  
Now, I have another plan, but before everyone jumps on me about my plans, this one WILL work. I'm going to Jou's tonight to do a history project, and when I'm there, I'll just slip a note into Shizuka's room. A note from 'Otogi'...  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
It was a rainy, dark afternoon when Shizuka stepped into her room after school and stripped off her damp school clothes. She went over to her closet and pulled on a tank top and a large grey Domino High sweatshirt. Then, she flopped onto her bed with a slight crinkling sound.  
  
Sitting up, she pulled a piece of paper out from under her. It was a note.  
  
'Dear Shizuka,  
  
I'm sorry about the other day, I just-I can't explain it in a letter, please come to my place today whenever you can, so that we can talk.  
  
Sincerely,  
  
Ryuuji'  
  
Shizuka reread the note and crinkled it into a ball in her hands. It fell to the floor as she dashed out the door and into the storm.  
  
~*~At the Hospital~*~  
  
"Ryuuji?"  
  
"Yes, Furi?" Otogi grasped her hand. "Do you need anything? Are you comfortable?  
  
"No...and I feel like shit, but no."  
  
Otogi was taken aback by her language. She'd never cursed in front of him.  
  
"Look, I know you've grown up, my little Ryuuji, because I know how you feel about that girl."  
  
Otogi looked away; he didn't want to think about her.  
  
Furi smiled and said in a sing-song way. "When you're in love, everyone can tell..."  
  
"I don't want to be in love with her. I mean, it seems like the world is against us..."  
  
"And THAT is when you must fight the hardest for love...when everyone is telling you to change the way you feel, which is damned near impossible."  
  
Otogi smiled. Furi always seemed to make him feel better, one way or another.  
  
"Y'know, Furi, I get it, you can stop swearing..."  
  
"I'll stop when you've told her."  
  
"Told her what?"  
  
"Told her you love her..." Otogi froze. Sure, he felt that way, but he wasn't going to say it.  
  
"I can't do that, not after I ignored her like that..."  
  
"I have found that love blossoms in hateful environments...the angrier she is, the more she'll love you."  
  
Otogi smiled again, but Furi, being a smart old lady, knew that he probably wasn't going to tell her without an incentive. Squaring her jaw, she reached into the pocket of her coat and pulled out a little leather pouch.  
  
"Give me your hand." She said quietly. Ryuuji held out his hand and she tipped the bag until something small and warm fell out of it.  
  
Ryuuji gasped when he realized what it was.  
  
"Ryuuji, this is my old wedding ring. I was saving it for you in my will, but I think you need it more right now."  
  
"Wha-what? A ring? You want me to-"  
  
"No, no, oh no..." She said. "Just give it to her when you tell her you love her. Jewelry is definitely the way to a girl's heart." She winked.  
  
Just then a static-encrusted voice resounded from the P.A. system.  
  
"Visiting hours are over. Will all visitors please leave the rooms?"  
  
Otogi dropped the ring in his pocket. "I'll come back tomorrow. Then you can finish telling me about this husband of yours..."  
  
He pecked her on the forehead and set off out the door.  
  
He stepped out of the hospital doors and upon hitting the wall of rain, raised his green umbrella to the sky.  
  
He lived pretty far from the hospital, so he walked over to the corner of the street, where there was a stop for a bus that ran by his street. While he stood there, he couldn't help but bring out the ring and examine it more closely.  
  
It was a thin silver band, carved intricately with tiny flowers, etched in with what he could only assume to be emerald. The flowers seemed to glow while he turned it this way and that.  
  
He tucked it back into his pocket as the bus decided to narrowly miss splashing him with a large pile of mud.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Otogi stepped off of the bus, not bothering to put up his umbrella as his place was only a few houses away. But as his door came into view, he stopped dead in his tracks.  
  
Shizuka was sitting on his doorstep. She must've been frozen, because she was drenched in rain and wearing only a soaked sweatshirt for warmth. Plus, he noticed she wasn't wearing long pants, but a short skirt. A VERY short skirt...  
  
She stood up when she saw him and they just stared at each other for a moment. Otogi saw that she was wearing huge unlaced rain boots, meaning she must've gone to his house in a hurry to have run up in Jou's shoes.  
  
She stepped forward. "Otogi, I..."  
  
She never got to finish. She fell forward, and Otogi caught her. She'd passed out cold.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
SGL: Whoa...choppy...but LONG...  
  
Isis: So I'm pregnant...with HIS child?  
  
SGL: Sorry, but it's the plot...  
  
Seto: Yep, that must mean we had quite a fun night...  
  
Isis: Sure, whatever, we WILL be getting married and stuff, right?  
  
Seto: O.O 


	7. Game Penalty

SGL: Hola mis compadres!  
  
Ryou #5: Er...  
  
SGL: That is the extent of my Spanish. Hey, I think that's pretty good for someone who takes French, that's pretty good...  
  
Ryou #5: Ay dios mio (sp?)...and I'm Japanese...  
  
SGL: Grr...Anyway, this is the chapter that I changed the rating for...kind of a steamy scene...I don't actually think it's all that much, but better safe than sorry...  
  
Anyway, sorry if it's going a little fast...  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Otogi stumbled backwards a little with her limp body. He dropped his umbrella completely and left it on the ground as he picked her up, cradle- style, and brought her into his house. He set her on the couch and stood back for a moment.  
  
He wrung his hands at what to do next; it wasn't like this happened everyday...  
  
"Er...right! Something hot...boil water..." He scrambled into the kitchen and set a kettle on the stove. While he waited, he set a damp towel in the microwave for a few seconds...a trick he learned from Furi. When the water was boiled, he added some tea to a cup and brought everything out on a tray...  
  
...And nearly dropped it all when he entered the living room. Shizuka had disappeared. She wasn't on the couch anymore. Her big sweatshirt, completely soaked form the rain, was lying across the already-damp sofa cushion.  
  
He set the tray down and swung his head around. She was nowhere to be seen. Wait...there was a trail of rainwater leading from the couch, through the living room, and up the stairs...  
  
He crossed the darkened room and climbed the steps slowly. The rain trail dripped up the wooden stairs and down the carpeted hallway. He followed it all the way down, until it turned into a room...his room...  
  
He looked up. Shizuka was standing at his window, looking out to the storm, her back to him.  
  
"I knew this was your room..." She said quietly. "It smells just like you..." She breathed in deep.  
  
"It feels like you..." She whispered, her back still to him.  
  
"Shizuka..." He started. "Are you okay? You passed out before...I made some tea..."  
  
"I'm fine."  
  
There was long pause before Otogi spoke again. "Why did you come?"  
  
She turned to face him; a questioning look blossomed on her face. "I wanted to talk..."  
  
He shook his head. "There's nothing to talk about, but if you're okay, you should go home."  
  
Her face went from quizzical to angry. "What did I do?" She demanded. "Why are you ignoring me?"  
  
"It..." He stammered. "It wasn't...meant to be."  
  
"What?" Her voice sounded hurt. "How can you say that?"  
  
"I'm sorry, but I c-can't..." His throat was starting to close up on him.  
  
He looked into her eyes. There were tears gathered in the corners...like diamonds...  
  
She saw him look at her and she shook away her tears, once again striking up a strong, angry voice. "Why didn't you want to see me?  
  
"Because..."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I-"  
  
"Why?!"  
  
"It's just-"  
  
"WHY?!"  
  
"BECAUSE I'M IN LOVE WITH YOU!" Shizuka gasped when he screamed this at her. Ryuuji glowed red and stepped forward.  
  
"I-I love you, Shizuka."  
  
She walked right up to him and gave him a little kiss. He was bewildered.  
  
"I love you, too."  
  
And as thunder clapped outside; inside the darkened room, Ryuuji smiled and planted his mouth on hers, wrapping his arms around her waist. She rose up on her toes and threw her arms around his neck.  
  
And as they continued, Ryou was at the Katsuya's house, not paying attention to Jou, but looking into the storm and hoping beyond his deepest wishes, that the fight would be over...  
  
//Hey, dumb butt!//  
  
/Yes, yami?/  
  
//Stop daydreaming...I can see it all and it's sickening me...//  
  
/Right yami.../  
  
~*~An Hour Later~*~  
  
Ryuuji and Shizuka were still going at it. They'd completely lost track of time. So far all they'd done was shove their tongues down each other's throats. (SGL grimaces.) So far...  
  
Shizuka started slipping her hands under his shirt, and after a moment, she yanked it off. He started guiding her towards the bed and they fell back on it. Ryuuji started trailing kisses down her neck...  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
*  
  
*  
  
Hey, hey, give them a moment!  
  
*  
  
*  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Ryuuji collapsed next to Shizuka, both of them covered in sweat and panting. Shizuka snuggled herself into Ryuuji's chest and he held her tightly, trailing his fingers up and down her back.  
  
"Shizuka?" He asked quietly.  
  
"Mm?" Her eyes were closed.  
  
"I love you." She opened her eyes just a little and smiled.  
  
"And I love you." She whispered. He smiled and held up a finger. "One moment..." He reached over her for his pants at the base of the bed, crushing her slightly and causing her to giggle.  
  
He wrenched Furi's ring out of the pocket and held it in front of Shizuka's face.  
  
"This is for you...As long as you wear it, I'll be close by."  
  
"Close by?" She slipped it on her finger. "Why would I need it if I intend on never leaving your side again?"  
  
"W-well, there's this thing..." He said nervously. "Something happened with Jou."  
  
"Y'know, what? Right now, I don't care. I don't want to hear my brother's name at all."  
  
With that she locked him into another kiss and flipped over onto him.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
*  
  
*  
  
Yes, they did it AGAIN...  
  
*  
  
*  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Jou sat up and yawned from his position on the couch. On the other sofa, Ryou lay sleeping. He'd stayed over the night before because of the storm.  
  
"Hey, dude..." He nudged Ryou, who just turned the other way and smacked his lips a little.  
  
Sighing, he pushed his shoulder, hard. Ryou just growled lightly.  
  
Jou chuckled and went over to the kitchen to grab something to eat. When he stepped in, he noticed it was empty. Normally Shizuka was there making breakfast fro herself. Why she flatly refused to cook for him, Jou would never know.  
  
He scratched his head and walked down the hallway, towards their ex- garage, where Shizuka's new room was.  
  
He knocked on the door. No answer.  
  
He banged it louder and shouted. "Shizuka, come on, wake up!"  
  
Still no answer.  
  
He pushed open the door. She wasn't there.  
  
'Maybe she went out this morning...'  
  
He went back to the living room and tried to wake Ryou again. "Hey, did you see Shizuka leave this morning?"  
  
At the state that Ryou was in, Jou doubted the light-haired boy had seen anything earlier.  
  
But he nudged him anyway and said louder. "Hey! Shizuka...my sister...reddish hair, brown eyes...about 5'3"?"  
  
Ryou moaned and flipped over again, mumbling something.  
  
Quite unfortunately, he'd mumbled, "She's having fun at Ryuuji's..."  
  
Again, quite unfortunately, Jou had heard him.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Jou thundered down the street and screeched to a halt in front of Otogi's house, nearly tripping on an umbrella that was left out in the rain.  
  
He snuck over to the window and peered into what turned out to be a kitchen. Otogi was in there his boxers, grabbing something from the fridge.  
  
Jou watched on as Ryuuji pulled out a carton of ice cream and a spoon.  
  
'So far, he's innocent...' he thought.  
  
But, bad luck on Jou's side; Otogi turned and went up the stairs. Jou ran around to the back of the house and saw a trellis. After a moment of thinking what kind of fractures and injuries he could sustain, he clutched at its sides and started to climb.  
  
He made it all the way up to the second floor window and peered in just as Otogi had come in with the ice cream...  
  
...And sank into bed with a nude Shizuka.  
  
Jou clenched his jaw and slid down the trellis easily, and started running home.  
  
"Sorry, buddy," He muttered. "As Yami would say, 'Game Penalty...'"  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
SGL: How'd you like?"  
  
Ryou: Why am I screwing everything up?  
  
SGL: Because you can do that and everyone would still love you!  
  
Ryou: Oh! ^.^ !  
  
Ryou #5: Review! 


	8. Tears of Joy

SGL: Sorry, I know I haven't been updating and they'll probably be coming less and less, because of school, color guard practice, SATs...But I promise that I WILL finish this, because this has been, by far, my favorite story to write...  
  
Speaking of favorite stories, Pikachumaniac, you have got to update 'Wildfire', I'll be waiting ^.^ !  
  
Ryou #5: (munches popcorn) Now, on with the story!  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Jou thundered down the road as fast as he could, promising himself not to stop for anything. Otogi would pay for what he'd done...  
  
He turned the corner and suddenly ran smack over something; tripping over it...Jou hauled himself off the ground, ignoring the new hole to match his new jeans and bloody scrape on his knee. He turned around to see what he'd tripped over.  
  
It was Yugi.  
  
"Watch where you're going, nimrod." Yugi spat from his position on the ground.  
  
"Hard to see someone that short..." Jou said sarcastically.  
  
"Go blow yourself, Jou." Yugi said harshly, pushing himself onto his feet. "Where the hell were you speeding off to anyway? Not that I care..."  
  
"Right..." Jou brushed himself off, and turned to go. "I'm going to stop Otogi from touching Shizuka ever again."  
  
"What?!" Yugi clamped one hand down on Jou's wrist. Jou jerked his arm back, but Yugi held fast. Jou was getting highly pissed off.  
  
"Let GO, you circus midget!" Jou snarled. He twisted his arm to rid himself of Yugi, but the boy was flexible, and strong...  
  
Yugi just held on tighter. "NO! You're not stopping them. Just because you don't have a heart, that doesn't mean Shizuka's not allowed to have one."  
  
Jou held his face close to Yugi's and hissed "Yes. It. Does. Now, let me go!"  
  
Yugi still held on. "NO! I'm not letting you break them up!"  
  
Jou pulled his arm back, hard. Yugi came right along with it. Jou grabbed Yugi's forearm and twisted it. Yugi's face winced in pain, but wouldn't let go.  
  
They continued like this for a while. Jou kept twisting Yugi's frailer arm, little by little, while Yugi kept on clutching Jou's wrist tighter.  
  
//Yugi! Let me help!//  
  
/No, Yami! I can deal with him!/  
  
//He could really hurt you!//  
  
/I can take care of myself./  
  
//I don't care, Yugi. If you don't let go, I'm taking over!//  
  
/No, you won't! I have to show him that I'm not a little weakling and that he can't control other people's lives!/  
  
CRACK!  
  
Yugi's cry could be heard throughout Domino. Jou had finally snapped his forearm. Yugi let go of Jou, and slumped to the ground, clutching his arm.  
  
Yami appeared immediately and bent over Yugi. "I told you!" He examined his arm. At least one of the bones was broken, and Yugi already had tears running down his face in agony.  
  
Jou looked on in horror. He didn't know he was holding on so tight, much less, that he could've broken Yugi's arm. He whispered. "Yugi..."  
  
Yami stood up at the sound of his voice. "You...hurt him..." Yami gave Jou his fiercest glare, and started stepping towards him. "You hurt him."  
  
Jou stood his ground. "If the little guy had enough sense to let go, then this wouldn't have happened."  
  
Yami roared out. "IF YOU HAD ANY FORM OF A HEART THIS WOULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED!"  
  
Jou gasped. Yami continued, quietly. "What happened to you, Jou? You used to be one of the most caring people Yugi knew...why? Why have you changed?"  
  
Jou shook his head. "I don't have time for this." He started to turn again, but Yami ran around and stood, blocking his way.  
  
"He was trying to protect his friend, your sister. Your sister, remember? The one you swore to protect? And now, you're in the way of her happiness..."  
  
"How the hell can she be happy?!" He screamed. "She's sleeping with Otogi! She'd much too young!"  
  
Yami's eyes grew big. Jou had yelled that a little loudly...  
  
"TMI, Jou..." Yugi said from the ground. His voice was low, and he was staring at the ground. "Come on, Yami. Let's go. If Jou wants to ruin his sister's life, let him. He'll regret it someday."  
  
With eyes still cast to the ground, hand still clutching his arm, and back still slouching, he walked off in the other direction. Yami was torn between punishing Jou and helping Yugi. He decided his hikari was more important.  
  
They left Jou standing in the street.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Ryou sat nervously on the Katsuya couch, fidgeting with his fingers and wondering where the hell Jou had gone.  
  
"I hope I didn't talk in my sleep again..." He mumbled.  
  
The door opened suddenly, and Ryou snapped his head up. Jou slumped in, very depressed over something.  
  
"Jou? Where'd you go?"  
  
"Why didn't you tell me Shizuka was seeing Otogi?" He growled.  
  
Ryou was thunderstruck. "It's her business."  
  
"Then it's my business!" He grabbed Ryou by the collar. The poor boy cringed and shut his eyes.  
  
'Oh shit, that's right, his yami used to beat him...' Jou dropped him and swung around to go up to his room.  
  
A confused Ryou was left on the floor to hear Jou's bedroom door slamming loudly.  
  
Ryou grunted. "Okay, I give up. Time for the direct approach..."  
  
~*~Three Hours Later~*~  
  
Seto pulled up Jou's street in his limo. 'What does Jou want now? I already told him, I wasn't going to be part of any dumb thing with Shizuka anymore.'  
  
"Are you okay, Seto?" Isis asked from the seat across from him.  
  
"I'm fine, really..." Isis didn't believe him. She slid into the seat next to him and wrapped her hand around his.  
  
"It's time to tell them, ne?" She whispered.  
  
Seto merely nodded. "Yes, but I wish we could hold it off..."  
  
She smiled lightly. "So do I, but I'm going to start showing soon." She held a hand over her only slightly rounded out belly.  
  
He smiled and slipped his hand over hers. "Okay." He leaned his face into her hair and kissed her head. "I love you so much..."  
  
She leaned her head onto his shoulder. "I love you, too..." She said breezily. "And not just because I like being engaged to a millionaire..."  
  
They broke out in giggles (I know, hard to imagine Seto giggling...) and soon, the driver announced their arrival at the house.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Ryou nervously awaited Seto and Isis. Everyone else had arrived, he'd called everyone over who'd been involved in the fight, and they were now all sitting in Jou's living room, quietly shooting each other dirty looks, with the exception of Jou, Shizuka, and Ryuuji.  
  
Yugi was sitting on the couch with a cast on his arm, and a very annoyed Yami at his side.  
  
Soon, Seto and Isis pulled up in Seto's limo and the two got out, hand in hand, and walked up to the house.  
  
Ryou stared, bewildered at them for a moment, before gesturing them towards couches and clearing his throat.  
  
He turned to the stairs and yelled up. "JOU, GET DOWN HERE, NOW!"  
  
The eyes of everyone in the living room widened. Kind, soft-spoken Ryou rarely ever yelled.  
  
Jou came out of his room. "What the hell is it Ryou? Why haven't you left-"  
  
He stopped mid-way down the stairs to see his living room full of people. He may have been shocked, but not as much as everyone else to see him. His eyes were red, as if he'd been crying.  
  
He sniffled and turned around. "Ryou, just take everyone and get out."  
  
Ryou dashed up and put a hand on his shoulder. "No, I have something to say."  
  
Jou turned around and Ryou felt so sorry for him. He must've been really upset over his sister. "Please, just stay for a few minutes."  
  
Jou reluctantly followed him down. Ryou sat him down in a plushy armchair and stepped back to survey the room.  
  
"I have something to say, everyone." He looked around. Everyone was listening, and no one was speaking.  
  
He cleared his throat again. "YOU PEOPLE ARE GETTING ON MY NERVES! Why don't each and every one of you swallow your goddamned pride and apologize?!"  
  
Everyone stared. Ryou sighed. "I'm sorry for that, but I really am getting sick and tired of everyone fighting. Do you people even remember what the original argument was about?"  
  
Yugi looked to Jou, whose face was hidden in shadow. No one said anything.  
  
"I thought so." Ryou said quietly.  
  
"Yugi..." Jou finally looked up. Yugi jumped to see that Jou was crying again. "Yugi, I'm sorry...I'm so sorry..." He buried his face in his hands.  
  
Yugi paused, then stood up and walked over to Jou. He knelt down in front of him and looked up. "It's okay..."  
  
"But I insulted your yami, who is basically you...and I broke your arm..."  
  
"It's just a hairline fracture...barely a scratch..."  
  
"But still, friends shouldn't do that to each other." He sniffed and rubbed his face on his sleeve. "Even when you weren't talking to me, you were still my best friend..."  
  
Yugi suddenly threw his arms around Jou's neck. "I missed you..."  
  
"Missed? Does that mean you forgive me?" Jou sounded hopeful.  
  
"Undoubtedly..." They separated and Jou stood up and walked over to Yami.  
  
"Hey, man, I'm sorry about everything...can you forgive me?"  
  
Yami sighed, "I suppose that Yugi's making me softer-hearted...but yes, I do..." Yami smiled. He held his hand out to shake.  
  
Jou smiled and pushed it away. A confused Yami was then treated to his first real bear hug.  
  
Everyone 'oooh'-ed and 'aww'-ed eventually, they were all in tears, hugging and smiling. Ryou was smiling at them all in the corner, when his yami suddenly came out of the Ring.  
  
Ryou rolled his eyes. "Please, no jokes about how long it took me to find a working plan..."  
  
Bakura scowled at Ryou for a moment before his face melted...  
  
...Into happy tears.  
  
Ryou: O.O  
  
Bakura reached over and tore a piece off of Ryou's t-shirt, wiping the corner of his eyes on it. "I'm so proud of you...meddling in other people's lives...you know that if you'd left well enough alone; this fight probably wouldn't have lasted as long as it did, right?"  
  
Ryou just watched as Bakura continued to bawl about how proud he was and how much potential that Ryou could have in being a mischievous prankster.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
SGL: THIS ISN'T THE LAST CHAPTER!!!!!! So, don't be fooled...  
  
Bakura: (still tearing) My little Ryou's growing up.  
  
Ryou: O.o  
  
Ryou #5: O.o 


	9. Duke?

SGL: Oh, the horror! The horror!  
  
Otogi: What is it now?  
  
SGL: I just found out what your dub name's gonna be...  
  
Otogi: (scared) Oh, no...Please let me be like Yugi and Ryou...  
  
SGL: I'm sure that most of you die-hard Otogi fans have already found out, but, I'm slow, so...it's gonna be...  
  
...Duke Devlin...  
  
Otogi: O.O  
  
Ryou #5: I'm so sorry, Ryuuji...  
  
Otogi: (tears stream down his face) It's okay... (sniffles) I'll be fine, just that my pride's been run over by the freight train known as 4Kids Entertainment...  
  
SGL: (huggles Ryuuji) It's okay, it's okay...  
  
Jou: Yeah, I know how you feel, I mean, I've had to go from Jounouchi, a way cool name, to...Joey. I sound like an ugly teenage girl from a bad prime time soap opera (Dawson's Creek; that show should die!)  
  
Seto: You mean you're not?  
  
Jou: Shut up! You got to keep your name...  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Shizuka strolled down the street to her house, swaying her arms and twiddling the ring around her finger. She couldn't ever remember being so happy. She walked up to her front door and swung it open...  
  
...To see the living room piled full of people crying on each other...not just any people; people who'd been spitting on each other the day before.  
  
No one noticed she'd come in, except for Ryou who was shaking his head at Bakura. He smiled and stumbled over several people to get over to her .  
  
"Hey, Shizuka!" He smiled.  
  
She looked around again before replying. "Hi, Ryou! They finally stopped fighting?"  
  
Ryou nodded. "Yep, and all it took was for me to yell at them...who knew?"  
  
She smiled and looked over to her brother, who was with Honda in an obviously crushing hug, both with tears steaming down their faces, Jou out of love, Honda out of pain.  
  
Yugi waved at Shizuka and bounced over to her. She giggled. It'd been so long since she'd seen him smile.  
  
"Shizuka!" He cried out before springing up into her midriff for a one armed hug. She noticed that his one arm was in a cast, although he didn't.  
  
With that, everyone in the room realized she'd come in, and all of them piled on top for a big group hug.  
  
She fell backwards onto the couch, crushed, but laughing. When they finally removed themselves, Jou walked up and sat down next to her on the couch...and gave her a big hug.  
  
"I'm sorry sis, I shouldn't have interfered."  
  
"Interfered?" She sighed and hugged him back. "It's okay, Jou, I know you meant well."  
  
After another 'aww' resounded through the room, Jou broke the hug and looked at her. "I saw you..."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"I saw you at his house this morning, and it doesn't take an idiot to figure out what happened last night."  
  
Everyone was quiet.  
  
"I, um..." She stuttered.  
  
"Uh, hey, everyone!" Seto suddenly cried out, "Isis and I are having a baby!"  
  
Everyone was quiet...again.  
  
Then, Mai and Anzu leaped on Isis, squealing like the girls they were. Yugi ran up and gave Seto a congratulatory hug, and Malik shook his hand.  
  
Shizuka walked over to hug Seto and whispered, "Thank you..."  
  
"No problem."  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Otogi rushed into the hospital, the doctors had called saying that something bad had happened, and Furi wouldn't need the hospital's care anymore.  
  
He bolted down the white-washed hallway, skidding around corners and just barely tripping headfirst into a large nurse carrying an equally large tray of meds.  
  
He did, however, manage to run smack into the door marked 'Minota Furi'.  
  
Groaning, he peeled himself off of it, to hear the giggling of some candy striper girls behind him. With a faint wave and his patented Melt-Me- In-Your-Mouth Smile, he wrenched open the door and flung himself in, just after seeing all of them blush and giggle again.  
  
'Still got it...' He smiled to himself.  
  
The room was darkened again, and he squinted towards the center, where three doctors were nervously surrounding the bed.  
  
Furi was standing on the bed in her hospital gown, waving a crutch angrily at the scared doctors.  
  
"THERE IS NO WAY IN HELL I'M STAYING IN THIS HOSPITAL FOR ONE MORE NIGHT!"  
  
He smiled and walked over to the bed, and pushed the doctors away.  
  
She saw him and humph-ed. "It's about time, you young people are getting slower by the day..."  
  
She calmly climbed down from the bed, swinging the crutch over her shoulder. "I'll be waiting for you by the bus stop. My stuff is in the closet."  
  
Otogi merely shrugged and sidled towards the closet. "She's ba- ack..."  
  
~*~Two Weeks Later~*~  
  
Shizuka and Ryuuji sat very close to each other, fingers entwined and occasionally kissing at each other's faces and necks.  
  
"Do you, Kaiba Seto, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?"  
  
"I do." Seto never even took his eyes off Isis.  
  
"And do you, Ishtahl Isis, take this man as your husband?"  
  
"I do."  
  
And in the beautiful garden of the Kaiba mansion, two were lawfully wed, two finally found each other ("Jou, of course I would..." said Mai.) And two more lived happily ever after...  
  
THE END.  
  
(Last Image of Otogi and Shizuka, kissing.)  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
SGL: Yay! I finished, so what do you think?  
  
Ryuuji: Hey, I got to be in it! I give it a ten...  
  
Ryou: Why'd I have to be the meddler?  
  
SGL: Because you're cute.  
  
Ryou: Oh, then it that case I also give it a ten ^.^ !  
  
Seto: A 7.5, you spelled some stuff wrong...And I had to get married...no...(shudders)...Commitment...  
  
SGL: Like I care...  
  
Malik: A two.  
  
SGL: WHAT?!?!?  
  
Malik: (shrugs) I wasn't in it enough!  
  
SGL: Maybe next time, YOU should win the Bikini Contest...  
  
Malik: O.o  
  
SGL: Anyway, thanks to everyone who read the story, like YugiKitty and co, Pikachumanic, and everyone else...  
  
POWER TO THE OTOGI FANS! AND DOWN WITH 4KIDS! 


End file.
